Electric ignition apparatus.



PA TENTED MAR 1i 10, 1908.

v R. HUPF. ELECTRIC IGNITION APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY31,1907

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No. 881,862. PATENTBD MAR. 10, 1908 .R- HUPF.

ELECTRIC IGNITION APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAY31,1907.

2 SHBETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT; OFFICE. RUSSELII HUFP", DETROIT,MICIIIGAN, ASSIGNOI1 TO PACKARD MOTOR CAR COMPANY,

" OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA. I

ELECTRIC IGNITION APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7 .Patented March 10,1908.

Original application-filed December 22, 1908, Serial No. 349,190. Divided and this application illed May 31, 1907.

Serial No. 1376,54 7.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUSSELL HUFF,a citizen of the United States, and resident of Detroit, in the county of'Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Ignition Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This application is a division of: my former applicatlon, Serial No. 349,190. filed December 22, 1906, and the invention relates to electric ignition apparatus for multiple cylinder hydrocarbon engines, andmore particularly for engines adapted for driving motor vehicles and motor boats.

The invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawing, in,

which: 3 v Figure 1 is an e levation of a distributer "illustrating the present invention; Fig. 2 is a 1 t side elevation of the distributer shown imFig. 1, Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional View on-ith'e line 3- -3, Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a diat hydrocarbon engines and the various circuits, Referringto the drawings, A represents a magneto generator of any desired type, such fonfmstanee as that illustrated in Letters Patwsi enltiNumber 780,221, to J. Packard, and uponthe face ofsaid generator'are mounted 1 theface plate 13 ofacircuit breaker of suit=" ,able construction and. the distributer plate 45. through which latter plate passes ashaft 36,48 gear driven from the engine shaft at J proper relative speed both to the engine fshaft and to the circuit breaker.

i The circuit breaker is adapted for operation witheither the magneto. current or our- W W rentgfroni the battery38; in the firstinstance thejcurrentin the-armature circuit assing the circuit breaker plate 13 t rough "pasta and conductor 30, through the pri-- coil .of a transformer 31 and back to" who 4.5 the armaturevshaft by way of, post 21; and in the second instance the current from. the battery 38 p P 7 post2l, through the contactbreaker and out yi'wa'y of post wand-conductor 41 to the b y .5 I

It w n rstood at th m e current is only ayailablefwhen the motor is operating, the ni'agneto being "driven'fiom glrznunatic view illustrating the cylinders of assing through conductor 39, the mnary "coil of -the transformer 31', binding the motor, and for starting the motor the batteryis used.

On the distributor plate &5 above referred to is a conductor ring 47 electrically connected. through the secondary coil of one of the engine .15; and concentric with said ring 3 are mounted four segmental conducting plates or contacts on the distributer plate, which plates 55 are respectively connected by conductors 56 with blnding posts 57. The adjacent endsof the plates 55 must be separated by a sufficient distance or interval to revent the current from leaping forward om the one in circuit to the next and thereby pro ducingpreignition and a back kick. From the posts 57 the conductors 58 lead re spectively to the spark plugs of the motor I cylinders E, one element of each spark plug being grounded on the engine, and the cir- .cuitreturns from the engine to the transformers 31, 31 through conductor 59. From the transformers the secondary or high tension circuit passes through conductors 43 and 43 respectively, to a'switch 43 and thence throu h conductor43 topost 44 and through con uctor 46 to the ring 47 on the distributer plate 45. I I

From the above itwill be readily understood by one skilled in the art that a high tension circuit will be closed through one of the -.motor spark plugs u on electrically connecting the ring 47 wit one of the segmental plates 55.

' On the rotating shaft 48 is an arm 51 of insulating material carrying a plate .52. of conductingmaterial. Mounted on the plate 52 is a brush 53 which is constantl in contact with the rin 47 and another l irush 54 g which is adapte to make contact succesrsively vwith the plates 55. v In using a high tension current asaboveset forth a greatv difference of potential will occur between the brush 54 and. the segments when the brush istraiveling between two er them, whichwould tend to cause a. spark .to leap from .the brush to the next succeeding segment across which it is' to rub and thus cause preignition and aback kick in the c 'linder having itsspark' plug connected with "said. succeeding segment." To avoid this a safety device in the form of a finger 60', 'connented electrically with the jblate -52,,is"mQ1mtdfon the arm 51, which the transformers 31, 31*, with a ground on 60 finger trails after the brush 54. The finger 60, as shown in Fig. 2, has its point close to,

but not in contact with the face of the dissame result is obtained if the finger is ari the brush 54, causing an additional spark inbrus ranged to bear on the plates 55. In other words, the fin er 'is an elo ation or extension of the rush 54, but it as a special function all its own, viz. that of causing a second spark in the cylinder makin its working stroke in preference to preigniting the partially compressed charge in the next succeeding cylinder. Thus if the difference of potential between the brush 54 and one of the contact plates 55 becomes sufficient to cause a spark to leap from one to the other, the current, choosin the path of least resistance, will pass from the fin er'60 to the contact segment which has just een left-by the cylinderwhich is making its working stroke and thus avoiding a remature explosion in the succeeding cylinder, such as would occur if the spark were permitted to leap ahead to the contact plate in advance of the brush 54. The function of the finger or brush extension or elongation 60 is to carry the current to the contact in rear of the brush until it is possible to transmit current through the succeeding contact without producing a premature explosion in the cylinder having its spark plug in circuit with such succeeding contact.

This safety device may be variously modified without departing from the spirit or taking it without the scope of the invention. It is apparent, for instance, that the finger 60 is practically a part of the brush 54, being in electrical communication therewith and cooperating with the same contacts. This bein the case any rearward extension of the Ii having the same function is the equivalent of said finger.

I claim: A 1. In an ignition apparatus for multiple cylinder hydrocarbon engines, a distributer comprising a traveling brush and a series of separated contacts over which the brush travels in succession, saidbrush being provided with means for transmitting current through each contact in turn while the forward part of the brush is travelin over a portion of the succeeding interval between contacts, for the purpose set forth.

' 2. In an ignition apparatus for multiple cylinder hydrocarbon engines, a distfibuter comprising a traveling brush and a series of separated contacts over which the brush travels in succession, said brush having a trailing extension through which current tributer having a series of contacts and a brush adapted to engage said contacts successively, of a conductor in communication with the brush and adapted to follow said brush over the contacts, said conductor being separated from thecontacts b an air gap, w ereby reignition of the exp osive charges in the cy inders is prevented.

4. In an ignition ap aratus for h *drocarbon engines, the.com ination wit a distributer having a series of segmental contacts and a brush adapted to move over said contacts successively, of a finger extending rearwardly ,from the brush and having its free end separated from the contact by an air gap, said finger being in electrical communication with the brush, whereby reignition of the explosive charges in the cy 'nders is prevented. I i

5. In an ignition ap aratus for h drocarbon engines, the combination wit a distributer having a series of se mental contact ieces mounted thereon, sai contact pieces eing respectively in circuit with the spark plugs of the en ines, and with a brush adapted to trave over and in engagement with said contact pieces successively, of means for producing a high tension current through said brush and contact pieces, and a conducting finger extending rearwardly from the brush and having its free end separated from the contact ieces by an air gap, for the purpose set forth 6. In an ignition ap aratus for h drocarbon. engines, the com ination wit a dis tributer having a 'series of contacts and a brush adapted to engage said contacts sucoessively, of a conductor in electrical com munication with the brush and adapted to follow said brush over the contacts, whereby preignition of the explosive charges in the cylinders is prevented.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

RUSSELL HUFY". \Vitnesses ALLEN Looms, L. (3. TENNEY. 

